This morning, the New York City Independent Budget Office released data showing charter schools housed in private space receive 16% less funding per student than district schools.

"A kid is a kid is a kid. All public school students deserve equal funding, but today's IBO report reveals an inequity that must be addressed. It's time to stop treating charter school students inequitably," said StudentsFirstNY Executive Director Jenny Sedlis.

"Parents living in Bedford-Stuyvesant have known for years about how Boys and Girls High School has failed their children," said StudentsFirstNY's Executive Director Jenny Sedlis. "Parents have worked with StudentsFirstNY to organize, rally and demand real results. In October 2014, parents called on the Department of Education to release turnaround plans. Since then, those parents have seen a steep drop in enrollment, heard rumors of a merger, but have not experienced much concrete change."

A report released today by the National Center for Education Statistics certifies that New York is the only state in the nation to set a consistently rigorous bar on 4th and 8th grade reading and math tests. Every other state set standards that were consistently below the "proficient" range set by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).

"New York is the pace-setting state when it comes to setting a rigorous bar for student achievement," said Jenny Sedlis, Executive Director of StudentsFirstNY. "Maintaining these high expectations is critical to ensuring children from all backgrounds can succeed. We are confident that the State Education Department will maintain New York's record high bar as it moves to a new testing company."

A new analysis released by leading education reform organization StudentsFirstNY finds that Mayor Bill de Blasio has done little to improve New York City public schools since he took control in January 2014. StudentsFirstNY intends to track and assess the Mayor’s proposals and hold him accountable to the parents and students of New York City.

Last year, the Mayor agreed to a new contract with the United Federation of Teachers — a sweetheart deal for the union that has repeatedly and negatively influenced education policy thereafter. Mayor de Blasio has offered a number of proposals with great fanfare, but so far his policies have failed to deliver real results.